JCP&L customers file lawsuit over Sandy

Nov. 14, 2012

A lineman with JCP&L surveys the damage to a utility pole and street light along Monument Street in Freehold on Oct. 30, the day after Sandy struck the Jersey Shore. / JERRY WOLKOWITZ/SPECIAL TO THE PRESS

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@dpwillis732

A group of Jersey Central Power & Light customers are suing the utility over its response to superstorm Sandy, which left people across New Jersey in the dark for days.

The residents, including one from Freehold, signed onto a lawsuit by Simon Law Group, a Somerville law firm, in Flemington. It names JCP&L and its parent company, Akron, Ohio-based FirstEnergy Corp. as defendants.

The lawsuit alleges breach of contract, misconduct, negligence and consumer fraud over its handling of the restoration of power following Sandy.

JCP&L said it had not received a copy of the lawsuit and could not comment.

Sandy knocked out power for 1.2 million JCP&L customers after it roared into New Jersey on Oct. 29. Another 100,000 were hit by a snowy nor’easter more than a week later.

The storms devastated the utility’s electric infrastructure as high winds knocked down trees, snapping electric wires and utility poles. The company called in utility crews from around the country and repaired substations, high-voltage lines and neighborhood distribution wires.

“It is important to separate fact from emotions,” said JCP&L spokesman Ron Morano. “This was by far the largest storm in the history of our company and a catastrophic event for New Jersey.”

The damage was greater than that experienced by Tropical Storm Irene and last year’s October snowstorm, he said.

“We put together an army of resources from across the country to repair the damage we sustained, rebuild the system and restore customers to service,” Morano said. “JCP&L employees, contractors and mutual aid crews put forth an incredible effort to restore customers as safely and quickly as possible.”

The lawsuit, which includes Anthony Vallaro of Freehold, joins the voices of some municipal officials who criticized JCP& over a lack of specific information given regarding when customers would see their power return.

“It just seems to me that there has been a lot of cloak and dagger and smoke and mirror nonsense that has been going on with these utilities,” said lawyer Britt Justice Simon, managing partner of Simon Law Group.

Simon said his firm seeks to have the lawsuit certified as a class action, but is willing to take individual cases if necessary.

“This is a message to all the utility companies is that they are accountable,” Simon said. “This is not a free market. There is not open competition here and as a result, people don’t have anywhere to turn.”

JCP&L’s record of outages has worsened, Simon said. "They are watching their dollars,” he added.

The company should have been able to respond in a quick, timely fashion and provide timely information, Simon said.